Communication - Blog Posts

Bowynn Gods: Drautmer

Drautmer (Drawt-mer)  Drautmer is the god of music and more importantly drumming and the patron of drummers. At first this attribute and patron of drums and drummers may sound insignificant; however, to the Bowynn people, drumming is so much more than just entertainment. Drums are a form of communication and defense. Drautmer’s parents are Anhur and Rhya .

     In the early days of the first tribes, they were scattered about the landscape. It was drumming that was used as a for of communication between tribes, be it to signal if there was a death, enemy approaching, plague or other issues that could affect other neighboring Bowynn tribes. Drautmer was the creator of the first drums. Inspired when the young god, he heard the knocking of a woodpecker against a tree. At first the god talked with the bid by knocking against the tree. But then got the idea of finding a hollow log and a stick. Thus, the god created the first drum. He then later stretched a leather skintight over one end of the log that greatly improved the sounds. Son the god was making great drums for the gods and mortals alike. it was his seven days living among mortals that he taught them the art of drumming. it is at night at Alaway that Drautmer entertains the gods with his music.     

Drautmer is seen often as a young man, for a god, with long honey colored hair, with drum and beater in hand or at his side. Sometimes more than one drum of various sizes. His totem animal is the Woodpecker, which he as well takes the form of when mortals are about. it is said that if one listens to the knocks of a woodpecker, one can decipher a message from the god, much like divination. Sacred gifts to Drautmer or of course drums of all shapes and sized, votive woodpeckers, incense and milk.

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How to ask someone to be your QPP

I’ve gotten a couple of communications about this, so I thought I’d try answering it directly here.

Much like how to ask someone to be in a romantic relationship, asking someone to be in a qpr (queerplatonic relationship) can be very personal and individualized.

A good place to start is by bringing up the concept of a qpr and discussing it with the person.  They might know exactly what it is, or they might not know anything about it, or they might’ve heard of it but not know what it means to you (and honestly, what it means to you is going to be the most important).

When you’re talking about it, you can kind of gauge their reaction and see how they handle it.  If they’re dismissive or uninterested, then you know it might not be safe or helpful to try to ask them to be in a qpr with you.  If they’re respectful and want to know more, then it’s a great gateway to further discussion.

You might talk about popular depictions of qpr’s, or what you, personally, would want in a qpr, or the challenges and joys of being in multiple qpr’s or in a qpr and a romantic relationship, etc.

I’d recommend giving that some time to sit and kind of… settle in.

Then, if it has gone well so far, you can start a separate conversation about asking that person if they’d like to try building a qpr with you.

I think the phrasing here can be really important.  Since some people define qpr’s as almost like romance-less and sex-less marriages, it could be considered a pretty serious thing to ask someone to be your qpr, almost like a platonic proposal.  They might not be ready for that.

You could consider framing it more like “deepening the friendship” or even “try building a qpr” (as I phrased it above), which focuses more on the process and less on the final result.

This is a great time to strive for excellent communication, and talk about things like whether you’re on the same page about multiple qpr’s, or what you think/feel about how to handle if one or both you has romantic relationships, too.  At some point, you’ll want to talk through your respective thoughts on things like the role of physical affection in your relationship, including whatever boundaries you have (or want to have).  These kinds of conversations aren’t always easy, but they’re really important for healthy relationships of all kinds.

Followers, if you’ve asked someone to be your qpp, how did you do it?  What are some helpful ways to approach this?

More or less from one day to the next, they forgot. It had been coming for years, even decades. A few had noticed, but named it something else. A new invention in the ever accelerating digital world. Some positive or unavoidable thing. Anything digital. Connected to development, innovation, progress… It's a win/win. Another much used term; guaranteed to hide the truth. But suddenly, one fine day, everybody on the planet had forgotten. Words. Letters. Sentences. How to write, speak, communicate. Apparently for no reason. They began all over. They had to. Some with 0'es and 1'es. Trying to reprogram languages. That failed, no surprise. Other started scratching in modern caves. In the beginning just almost indecipherable signs. Trying hard to express something. Almost with impatience. Even with a kind of anger. Forgetting seems to create very strong feelings. Let's hope we find a way to describe that. I hope, but have no words for that. #mantelmomento #danielmantel #https://mantelsroman.wordpress.com/ #laurieandthestoryof #primeiroproximopasso #udenfilter #shortstory #prose #fiction #lift #language #words #communication #justsaying #serversdown #startingalloveragain #withoutwords #justmyvisionandthoughtsaftertoomuchdigitalinputandnotatleastthatannoyingfacebook (Usual one-off hashtag)

Combien de significations se cache derrière une étreinte? Qu'est-ce une étreinte, si ce n'est communiquer, partager et instiller quelque chose de soi-même chez une autre personne? Une étreinte est l'expression de son existence à celui qui est à côté de nous, quoi qu'il arrive, dans la joie et la douleur. Il existe de nombreux types d'étreintes, mais la plus vraie et la plus profonde sont celles qui transmettent nos sentiments. Parfois une étreinte, quand le souffle et les battements du cœur ne font plus qu'un, fixe cet instant magique dans l'éternité. Parfois encore une étreinte, si silencieuse, fait vibrer l'âme et révèle ce qui n'est pas encore connu ou que l'on a peur de savoir. Mais le plus souvent, une étreinte c'est détacher un petit morceau de soi-même, pour en faire don à l'autre afin qu'il puisse continuer son chemin moins seul.

Pablo Neruda

I started learning sign language because of when I'm so overwhelmed I can't speak. It has brought me so much more joy than I expected being able to communicate non verbally. I will say, language is a social tool. It felt like I was building a bridge to nowhere before I found people to sign with.

All my life, people have asked me why I was so quiet, and assumed I was an extreme introvert even though I enjoy being around people; I just hated talking and being expected to speak.

Now I have classes that are ASL only and my teachers can't get me to shut up! (They're nice about it, clearly it's in a "let the other kids have a chance" kind of way) Whenever I'm speaking and I can't think of how to express myself in English, my hands will find the words first. And when I'm with someone who understands, it feels so freeing!

One more time I wanna emphasize: Sign Language will help you communicate, but only with people who know sign language. And when you find those people, it is so worth it!

This goes for selective mutism, semi-verbalism, any sort of condition where someone who is generally able to communicate verbally loses the ability to do so

Sometimes u gotta scruff the ppl in a self blame all-way-stop and be like

“Yes yes, you’re all a little stupid, but together you make one big singular stupid so it’s ok”

Average attempt at communication with adhd.

Particularly stupid words I cannot seem to conquer when attempting to type thoughtlessly:

- hte

-becasue

-threfroe

In parenting ( just like any other inter human ) it needs communication..kids aren't dumb. And they are NOT robot that follows your every command..

So often, I hear a parent say “Don’t talk back to me!” when what they mean is “Don’t question me or voice any disagreement!” Children are autonomous little humans with minds of their own. They’re going to want to know why they can’t have a chocolate bar or why they don’t have unlimited data or why they can’t stay out until midnight on the weekend. Maybe instead of just demanding unquestioning acceptance of your authority, you should explain why your way is the best way.

Payphones Finally Good for Something After 10-Year Hiatus

by Brian Barrett

You’ve rightly ignored payphones for longer than you can remember, but they haven’t forgotten you. They been waiting there patiently in the wings, coin slots aquiver, ready for the day when a hurricane would disrupt the power that charges your fancy cellular communication machines. That’s right, New York. It’s payphone time.

Read More

I think the goal is not to be perfect and try to change everything of us (or others too, as we project on them our "dark" sides) but to accept ourselves despite our imperfections and "flaws". No matter how much we try, we'll always end up doing or saying something that can be considered wrong or bad, even unconsciously. And that's completely okay. We interface with different people, and we cannot please everyone or we'll just go crazy. But we need to please ourselves and give us a break. Be kind with ourselves as we're just trying. Appreciate who we are, light and dark. We'll always make mistakes, we'll always make a wrong choice... Sure we can try to change what we really do not appreciate, the coping mechanisms that are hindering and making us suffer (the ones we're not even aware of), but we need to remember there's no recipe to be perfect as there's no real perfection. We can always try to be better but we cannot reach that perfection we aim to as it doesn't exist. We cannot be that to feel accepted and included, to feel seen and valued, to feel less alone: people change their mind as the wind anyway. But we can see all of who we are and welcome our darkest side and try to feel more content and... not make us feel alone by abandoning and neglecting a side of us that still exists and needs our love, even if we accuse it to not let us be accepted by others. Maybe if we accepted it, accepted our whole self, and knew us... maybe we'd feel less alone, more apt to see our light within without having to compare to others and more open to others too.

Vereniging Openbare Bibiotheken en meer

Outside of Amsterdamn, the Netherlands are a wonderful place to live. As one person writes, there is a lot of diversity creating a space of different languages and environments, but while there is a separation between true locals as those who don’t fully integrate (i.e. Learn Dutch) there is still an openness and friendly culture. Even while striving for the achieved academic, educational and intellectual excellence, there is also a note that it is not forced (1).

Focused on overall growth, personal acceptance and diversity the School 7 library in Den Helder won the International Federation of Library Assocation’s best library...in the world (2)

But there is still more. Throughout the country there are various specialized libraries (libraries focused on new immigrants, feminism, Jewish and African cultures) and a focus by the VOB (their library assocation Vereniging Openbare Bibiotheken) that encourage residents to ask for help with legal and business needs, how you can use the resources for advocacy and how proud they are that approxiamtely 50% of their users are under the age of 18 (3)

(1) https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Pros-and-cons-about-living-in-Holland-from-an-Americans-perspective

(2) https://www.frameweb.com/news/school-7-library-netherlands-van-veen-mars

(3)http://www.debibliotheken.nl/

Hailed, Held, Hung

While my main venture into a library will be for books, as previously stated they are also community centers and should me a resource to increase opportunity and equality of the local residents. A recent episode of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj looked at another form of inequality, unequal access to the internet.

The internet had become an additional resource all residents in the U.S. and in other developed nations need to have in order to be a successful part of society. Further than the internet, more accurately it’s the instant access to the internet via smartphone but even if not instant the internet has replaced many telephone, mailing and older forms of communication and information access, especially when it comes to research, employment and getting assistance. And again, libraries were part of making up for these inequalities for those who cannot afford, understand or otherwise access the internet.

Unfortunately, again libraries and the communities who need these opportunities and access are hit the hardest. Closing libraries, shorter operating hours and fines related to late library books are creating a further divide. As the world progresses, we have to make sure that not only we don’t leave people behind but that we are doing what we can to rise everyone up together

The Prince of Egypt

I love a good “Fuck you” in a film, and for children—this one delivers.

This story of Moses was my first musical and had a soundtrack I was obsessed with and portrayed the important teachings of the story without the harshness and lack of forgiveness I expect from the Catholic Church. Along with the soundtrack, I remember the story to be about freedom, peace and the complications of doing the right thing

Living a couple blocks away from a church is the closest I am to religious, and I haven’t been in a religious building in years, but I remember the story to be about freedom, peace and the complications of doing the right thing and how opinions of what is right, can differ. Two brothers, one who didn’t know he was adopted, would still be expected have the same understanding in life but as seen more common in today’s world—family doesn’t always think or believe the same thing. Separating the aspect of power and God, a majority of the conflict is still an ability of Moses and Rameses to speak to each other and creating an understanding with each other. 

For me the “Fuck you” of the film, as with many stories of racism and elitist beginnings, is how Moses comes to his success out of opposition to the actions of those in power both with how his birth mother sent him down the river and he became part of the King’s family, and in why he flees and returns to Egypt—trying to live a righteous life and have all people be equal.

This story is also a great portrayal of a mother’s love both with the mother who has to give their child up and with the mother who adopts another’s child as their own, both sacrificed so much for their son. Along with the soundtrack, also a shout out to the art department, I too remember the beauty of this whale shot.

Communication

“A European says: 'I can't understand this, what's wrong with me?' An American says: 'I can't understand this, what's wrong with him?'" - Terry Pratchett

I had the privilege of attending a university with an extremely large contingent of foreign students; many of which I counted as friends, and learned a great deal from.

Sometimes their command of the English language would fail them, and they would apologize. Each time I would say the same thing: "You speak English much better than I speak any other language. You have nothing to apologize for".

This trend has continued over to my IT department, which has featured from inception various individuals of international origin. Occasionally these team members would hit a language barrier, and I would do my best to patiently explain and / or listen to them.

Frustratingly, I found that some of my American colleagues were not willing to similarly engage. Like all such generalizations, there are plenty of diverging outliers; but there is most definitely a tendency in American culture to blame communication failures on the other party.

Some years ago we employed a Soviet emigrant; an exceptionally intelligent and knowledgeable individual, but someone for whom English was not a strength. This wasn't an issue until he was moved - against my protests - into a position that required significant communication skills; and ultimately this became his undoing and he was dismissed.

I was saddened to learn today that this same situation has been repeated with another non-native English-speaking colleague. She was assigned new responsibilities that required an extensive amount of communication and coordination (despite being initially hired in on the strength of her technical skills); and now she too has been dismissed.

Perhaps I am oversimplifying; but it is very difficult to see these conflicts as the one-way failure that termination of employment would suggest.

Gamification: Effective Means of Event Management

Mummification, along with live video features and chatbots are one of the most talked about event trends today. Even though the term gamification is spread like wildfire throughout the event industry, there is still confusion about what gamification is and how it can enhance an in-person event.

Read full insights: gamification and event management 

Communication!

Adults should be able to communicate their wants and needs in a tactful way. They should also be open to hearing their partners needs as well. And both people should be able to communicate things without emotional tantrums or pouting. I know not all adults do this, or do this 100% of the time, but it never hurts to try.

Damn Forest Service, the sci comm is scary as hell.

As a ND person, I hate having to take communications courses in college. It reaffirms that NT people are confusing AF.

Nonverbal communication :0

✨️

Have a drawing for the best arc ever (100% not bias)